The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1887-07-22
AMERICAN MOUNTAIN SCENERY.
The Grand Canyon Of the Arkansas
and the Plains.

The Grand Canyon Of the Arkansas
and the Plains.
The Grand Canyon Of the Arkansas
excels in majesty any scene which IL
had yet been our pleasure to look upon.
How many ages or centuries or thous-
ands of years the remorseless river was
engaged in cutting its way through
these everlasting mountains is a mat
ter Of conjecture The channel of the
river (at this point not large one) pur-
sues tortuous way for many miles be-
tween tho lofty rocks, which its cease
less cravings have severed. inc sOfidi
walls, rising sometimes almost perpen-
dicularly to the height Of eleven hum
dred feet the winding course Of the
canyon apparently closing us in door
less prison, the skylight seeking to pen-
citrate the depths of the abyss, and
splashiug rain. all added to the beauty,
the grandeur, the terror, the excite
ment aud the pleasure Of the occasion.
Our good engine, with remarkable ease
and speed, climbing up the grade on
the background of the enormous rocks
looked like speck, dot. child's
plaything. .The Royal George as it
is called, is the elimination Of the cam
yop Here is scarcely room for the
river alone, but mans ingenuity has
overcome natures distinctions, and o
well-used thoroughfare is the result
Emerging from the canyon the road
follows the Arkansas river to Salida
On our left are the snow-covered peaks
of Sangre de Cristo a Spanish name
meaning the Blood of Christ. Here
we leave the river and begin to climb
and scale the heights Of Marshall pass
over the great continental divide.
We wind along rountaiI sides, rising
higher and higher. Our train is divid-
ed into two sections. Looking upward
we see now line OF earth which marks
the course Of the road; now the first
section of our train appears, leading us
half mile. Looking downward we see
the course we have come; now one, now
two, now three sections of the road
appear at once, tier above tier. Look
ing outward we see the great slopes Of
majestic mountains and the recesses Of
tins ystiiiieys. he Rockies seem % open
the doors of their secret chambers and
to reveal to us their hidden beauties. AT
length, on the very summit, in a long
snow shed, through many of which we
have passed, our painting putting en-
gine, like 4 tired and overburdened ani-
NAL, stops IN its course, as II to gather
strength for the struggle before it in
carrying its load down on the other
side. We are 10.878 feet (more than
two two fiiiiiss11 above the level Of the sea
The descent with the loops Of the
road bending Dack and forlii, alid siesa
somewhat milder scenery, IS the reverse
Of the ascent The train rolls on, and
now darkness comes upon as. Ourroad
lay through a gorge described as
"grander, deeper, darker, and yet moro
beautiful than that we had SO recently
passed through" 1t is called the Black
cayon. Sitting on standing upon the
back platform Of our oar we were quite
able to see majestic outlines Of this
great gorge Waterfalls. the swiftly
flowing river, the lofty and PERCEPTIONS
rocks reaching ont their arms as 4 to
crush us in their embrace, the Cnrre-
can't Needle--an abrupt and isolated
pinacle, symmetrical and graceful--are
all discernible in the darkness, which
lends to each certain charm 0f its
own. The morning light finds us on
the great plains
An awful. terrible desert Its des
olation is simply indescribabla. II OK
tends for more than 100 miles between
the Grand and the Green rivers, aud
while dreary and somewhat monoto-
nous, IS by no means uninteresting.
On the right and left are arid wastes
OF land, bearing here and there the
scantiest possible growth Of worthless
weeds The hills in color and in their
wrinkled surface remind one Of the
hides of some gigantic elephant Che
buttes, with thin level tops precipitOus
faces and barren appearances, rise con-
tinnally on either side In the Green
river valley irrigation has begun to
change the barrenness into fraitfulpess.
Onward we speed up the ascent OF the
Wasatcis range, through Castle Gate,
whosef iwarders are the great rocks
which stand at its entrance up the
Prince river canyon. down which Sgd
ney Johnston marched his army home
from Utah after he had established the
authority Of our government over the
Mormon rebels.